By Pepper Parr
October 20th, 2018
BURLINGTON, ON
Exclusive to the Burlington Gazette
When asked: Why run Mike Wallace said “We live in a terrific community – but we are facing some challenges and I think our relationships with, not only our fellow Councillors, but with those at the regional and provincial levels as well need some work.
Mike Wallace taking in a city council meeting.
Wallace thinks the way we solve our problems is what will define the kind of city council he wants to lead.
“I think that the way we solve the problems of growth, intensification, traffic and transit is going to call for partnerships and I think I am the best candidate to deliver that kind of leadership.
Wallace said he had decided to run before the June election that put a Conservative government in office at Queen’s Park. “I thought there needed to be changes in the leadership and the city mayor and that the city needed someone who understands the process and is willing to be much more decisive.”
Wallace said “we need to move the agenda forward – it took them six years to do a Strategic Plan which put the city behind on the Official Plan (OP) review – because of that lack of leadership we are now behind the 8 ball.”
“My experience at the federal and municipal levels means I can add a tremendous amount of value.” We asked Wallace if he felt bound by the current Strategic Plan. He said “the 25 year Strategic Plan should be used as a reference document and that each Council should have its own four year action plan.”
Wallace said he has heard that there will be a spanking new council chamber ready for the new Council but hasn’t seen anything yet.
Wallace doesn’t think in terms of his first 100 days. His first priority will be to get to know who his Council members are and to learn what they want to see done.
His first hundred days – get to know my Councillors, get us up to speed and involve myself in their training, particularly the budget because there is a steep learning curve. I think I can be a mentor.”
“Three things that have to be done in the first while: Getting a council in place that can make quality decisions, there is a lot of work to be done, we may not get Christmas off.
“The Province says we have to decide on cannabis – Jan 22 is the date on that by which city Council has to make that decision”. Wallace is for waiting to see how other municipalities manage canibus retail operations in their city’s.
“There is a need for me to send a message, not just to council, but to staff that there is a need for a new culture at city hall – not just for the council members and staff but for the public as well
“I want the new council to think more of a how can we help. There has to be a better sense of collaboration – I don’t want silos, I wants them all in the same tent working towards the same goal.
“I think it starts with staff understanding that that is the kind of atmosphere we want” and he hopes this is what the council members want. Hopefully there will be a culture they want to develop.
“Leadership” said Wallace “comes from council and particularly the mayor’s chair. There has to be a positive message to staff because they do most of the work.” Wallace said he wants them to be “excited about the new council and excited to be working for Burlington.”
He said the atmosphere hasn’t been as productive as it should be. To bring about the changes he believes the city needs Wallace said he will be reaching out and meeting those that are elected immediately
He said he could meet with them as a group before they are sworn – he can do anything he wants but before they are officially members of Council and added that he would clear this with the Clerk.
Rob MacIsaac – a leader Wallace worked with.
Wallace said it is “vital to create those positive relationships and pointed to the days when he was a Council member under Rob MacIsaac I. We knew where each of us stood. “I want that same sense of working together on my council.
Atmosphere and tone are critical said Wallace and I think I have the leadership skills to make that happen.
Wallace said he didn’t know the city manager very well “I met him a few times”
When MacIsaac was mayor the city manager got clear direction. He said he would be happy to work with the current city manager to improve the relationship between council and staff to ensure that the direction staff gives is actionable. Wallace said he isn’t sure that has existed over the last number of years
Asked how fast he he wanted to get to the Region and talk about the OP Wallace said they have a certain amount of time to take action – to tell us if it is congruent with the Regional OP.
Mike Wallace wants to get to Queen’s Park quickly and get help from the province to solve our problems.
For Wallace the top priority is to get to Queen’s Park and see if we can get them to make some changes with their plan that fits better with our plan and he expects he will be able to do that some time in the Spring of next year
He said the transit solution needs more money. We asked: with a 4.3 % budget projected for the next fiscal year where is the money going to come from?
His fundamental view on transit is that what is needed to get a person who wants to get from A to B … effectively and efficiently
He didn’t have solution but said he “did like the look of the current Director of Transit who did good work at her previous job. ” Wallace said “We are putting $10 million into transit – we need to figure out where transit is going – should we be looking at shared services, Uber, or dial a ride because 40 foot buses aren’t the answer. He concedes that transit is part of the solution and ways have to be found to increase ridership.
He is prepared to try the free service for seniors idea that is being used in Oakville.
Burlington Transit getting new buses – Wallace doesn’t think these 40 footers are what we need.
We didn’t come away with the feeling that Wallace has a significant commitment to transit – just that it is something we are going to have to have. The issues that he gets passionate about is the current Handi-Van service. He thinks that service should be Region wide – having people transfer buses at municipal borders is just plain dumb.
Another one that gets to Wallace is why isn’t there a bus service that will get people in Burlington and Oakville to the Pearson airport directly. If he had his way Wallace would like to see transit becoming a GTA west service.
He believes there is technology out there that is not being tapped into.
I asked Wallace why people feel the city isn’t working – why is there is a sense of dysfunction that we are hearing about in this election?
“People are frustrated” said Wallace –” they can’t point to anything that this council has done. On the OP this council didn’t read the public.” Wallace doesn’t blame staff. The Strategic Plan set out the vision especially on land use but the OP doesn’t address how that is going to be achieved.
Residents pack the public gallery at city hall.
He maintains that “this council has not been proactive … they claim that they held a certain number of public meetings but they didn’t respond to the public concerns. This council has been in a bit of a bubble – not proactive and they didn’t accept input from the public on the issues. They have worked from a Father Knows Best position.”
Wallace wondered why are all the Standing Committee meetings are held down at city hall. If there are issues that relate to a community – hold Standing Committee meetings in those communities makes some sense.
“Why are we not meeting at the Haber Recreation Centre. Wee need to do something that lets people know we are reaching out.”
He wants to get to Queen’s Park in his first 100 days and convince them to make some changes to the Place to Grow plan and let the city get rid of the downtown mobility hub and move the Urban Growth Centre boundaries further up Brant Street. He wants help from the Provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs to help Burlington decide where and how grows.
The Baxter
He wants changes made so that the city can take control of its destiny. He admits that there are going to be three towers in the downtown core for sure. He can live with the height the Baxter has but he doesn’t want to see a downtown that works for just those who are fortunate enough to live there
He wants to see specialty retail in the downtown core and thinks the it should be the entertainment focus; a major thread in the social fabric of the city.
The litmus test for Wallace is when people come to Burlington, downtown is where they want to go. “If we over develop it will become restrictive for other people – it will become a place just for those who live in the core.”
We asked Wallace where he would cut if he had to bring in a budget that is at inflation. The city portion of the budget has been running either side of 4% for the past seven years. Wallace once reminded the audience during a debate that the city once went for a number of years with 0% budget increases.
He wants staff to work within the budgets they are given and doesn’t think there has to be any services cut – that there is more than enough money coming in. As long as the city keeps close to inflation Wallace thinks the city will be fine.
Wallace points out that Burlington is part of a two tier government and we need to focus on the blended tax rate. The current council has been doing that for a number of years. If Burlington could keep its own budget at inflation taxes would be a lot different.
Wallace said “there is money available for some projects but that the city departments need to live within what they are given and projects might have to be stretched out over a longer period of time.
Wallace pointed to the federal government where there was a plans and priorities approach – he wants staff to better manage what they are given.
Mike Wallace thinks Bronte Meadows could be turned into the kind of community needed to solve many Burlington’s housing and work related problems.
Liberty West, is a Wallace pet project that he believes can solve a lot of the pressing issues the city has. His vision is for a part of the city that has offices and residential mixed together where the housing would be more affordable and keep the younger people in the city instead of having them move to Toronto.
Wallace likes the look of Bronte meadows and believes the city can work with the Paletas who own the land.
When would he like to see shovels in the ground? Wallace said he hopes to have the plan in place by the end of his first term. He pointed out that right now the land is the subject of a Special study – he wants that study accelerated and have the city begin moving on some of these opportunities. Council has to stop sitting around and begin to get things done.
One can almost see the outline of a second term election for Wallace.
Caroline Wallace – likes the idea of moving to the core of the city.
Wallace and his family live on the eastern side of the city. His wife Caroline has been said to be interested in moving into a condominium in the core. “We won’t be living in a high rise condominium” said Wallace. “A townhouse for us. We are both walkers –something within 2 km of city hall” seems to be what he is suggesting.
All Mike Wallace has to do to make all this happen is get more votes than the other three candidates on Monday.
Burlington’s Conservative Party has already selected it’s candidate for the next federal election .Mike is committed to serving Burlington as it’s Mayor and will be as long as the voters support him
I wonder if Mike will quit in mid-term to run for MP again?
His plans seem reasonable, but where was Mike Wallace as an engaged private citizen when the 23-storey Carriage Gate condo application and the new Official Plan were tabled and approved? Okay, he was working full-time, but so were many principles of ECoB and Plan B. Lisa Kearns delegated 7 times at City Hall and she had a full-time job and a young family. You have to ask yourself, where was Mike?
I don’t have to ask myself where was Mike because I saw him at almost every one of the meetings. He was not a delegate but was most certainly there as a concerned citizen. I’m guessing that you were not there or you would have seen him.
You have guessed wrong. I personally delegated twice and as a principal of Plan B was part of a third delegation. Being a spectator in my mind represents a very different level of commitment than being an active participant and that’s my point. Where was Mike???